The Blippar Insider: Five tips for your first augmented reality campaign

When it comes to creating augmented reality campaigns, Lisa Hu knows her stuff. Blippar’s US VP has worked with brands including Anheuser Busch, Ralph Lauren, Cover Girl, IBM, Kraft and Walmart, building a huge range of phenomenal interactive marketing solutions. Here, in an article first published by Target Marketing Magazine, she shares her expertise with brands stepping out into the AR space for the first time…

Unless you’ve been living in the woods for the past few years, you know AR is poised to revitalise print by layering interactive content on top of flat, static images. But while the medium gains traction, some marketers remain unclear about the best ways to use this new technology. Here are our pointers:

1. Have a strong call-to-action (CTA)

The biggest mistake marketers make is omitting the most crucial component of the campaign – a call-to action. It is the indicator signifying to consumers that a product or page is interactive, and without a strong one your campaign will fail. It’s as simple as that.

Create a consistent CTA to use across all of your interactive campaigns so users associate it with getting out their smartphone and interacting with an image. Without a clear, consistent CTA users will be confused about how to access digital content, and results will be dismal.

2. Educate the consumer simply

You have a beautiful CTA telling people to get out their phones - but they’re bound to need a little more help. Remember, AR is still pretty new, so it’s unfair to expect people to understand it immediately, and worthwhile educating users to ensure they return to your interactive experiences again and again.

Walk users through the process for activating your digital content. Along with the CTA, create an opening screen that prompts users when the app is opened. When it comes to directions, be as specific as possible. Should they hold their phones over the whole page, or just part of it? Should the screen be filled with the whole box, or just the product logo?

Tell users clearly what they need to do and why they should do it. Making the experience as easy as possible will ensure higher levels of engagement.

3. Invest in content


For your AR campaign to truly take off, it must provide real value for consumers. Linking to a website is not enough - if they wanted to find you online, they'd use Google. To connect with your users via AR the experience must be totally unique.

As the market becomes more saturated, it's imperative that your brand is committed to this practice from the start: first impressions mean everything. An uninspired AR campaign will eliminate any chance of repeat use - and that's the last thing you want.

It's not about a zombie bursting onto a screen for three seconds, only for nothing else to happen afterwards. Think past the ‘wow’ bit and layer on robust features that allow consumers to further engage with the brand - whether by offering virtual try-ons, coupon codes, free samples, sweepstake entry, games, polls or exclusive videos.

These features are compelling reasons for your audience to stay glued to their phones. By providing a huge ‘wow’ factor coupled with full-blown features, they'll begin to associate your brand with must-see visual discovery experiences.

4. Refresh Content Regularly


This should go without saying, but you'd be surprised how many times we've seen good campaigns go stale. No one wants to see the same thing over and over, so refresh content regularly.

This is especially important if you make your company logo interactive, as it’s an image that will stay with your brand for a long time. If you're always updating it with meaningful experiences that relate to timely events, upcoming holidays or cultural trends, users will constantly be scanning it to see what they’ll find.

You want consumers to associate your brand with trendy, hip, current AR experiences so you can build social buzz and drive further interactions.

5. Promote Your Campaign

You've created a stunning AR campaign – so shout about it! Promote it on-pack or via in-store displays, post an article on your company's blog, share it on Facebook, tweet it to your Twitter followers… you get the idea. After all, if you're going to spend the money on the campaign itself, it's worth going that extra mile to drive strong engagement results and generate a solid ROI.

If the campaign is the first of its kind consider using PR to generate press. But this should be reserved for truly unique experiences; no one will care if it's already been done.

And finally...

Whether adding AR to your next direct mail campaign, print ad or product, the advice is still the same: by including a strong CTA, educating the consumer, investing in and refreshing content, and promoting your efforts socially, you're well on your way to making your first AR campaign a huge success. Good luck!